Mayor Tim Snyder is the heart and soul of Lititz

BY JEFF FALK

Tim Snyder is a humble, civicminded, socially oriented gentleman.

Under his watch, the town of Lititz has thrived. But Snyder does not deserve all the credit, nor does he seek it.

He fully understands that the borough’s success is the result of cooperation and collaboration between like-minded people like himself.

More than just some figurehead, Snyder is an active mayor, a strong mayor, a proactive one, a promoter of the town’s charms, people and positives.

“I love to promote Lititz,” said Snyder. “I think the best thing about Lititz is the people. They make this town special. From the retailers to the churches to the service clubs to the residents, everyone’s trying to do what’s best for the community.”

Snyder’s been elected three times, and he’s currently in his 10th year of serving Lititz as its mayor.

During that time, Lititz has experienced a notable and unexpected amount of growth.

Prior to that, Snyder had served on Lititz Borough Council for nine years, four of which as its president.

“Right now, the state of the borough is good,” said Snyder. “Over the last 10 years, Lititz has become a destination through the work of Venture Lititz. Main Street has been updated and we have a great downtown business district.”

As mayor, Snyder works closely with the borough council, oversees the Lititz police force, represents the town at Lancaster County Mayors Association functions and attends Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association meetings. When it comes to communications in the borough, Snyder is the face of Lititz.

“You have to understand that Lititz is a tremendous community, and our borough council has always been phenomenal, with a lot of professional people on it,” said Snyder.

“And they’re all running in the same direction. All of our public officials are very committed to having a wonderful community. Every time we meet, it’s about ‘how can we make Lititz a better place to live and work and play?’”

W hile Lititz is in good shape overall and its prospects for continued success appear bright, it is not perfect. Two of the biggest challenges currently facing the borough are the availability of affordable housing and the fact that there simply isn’t a lot of room for expansion in its 2.3-square-mile area, which is home to about 9,300 residents.

“ We don’t have a whole lot of room for development,” said Snyder. “Our challenge is to continue to provide services to our residents efficiently. When opportunities come up to make a positive change, we want to pursue them. We want to make sure everything’s going to run well in the next 20 years. We want to have open communications with our community.”

For more information about Lititz, go to www.lititzborough.org.